For a while now, I’ve been thinking I need a dedicated shop truck. About four years ago I sold my 57 Chevy pick up, and regretted it almost immediately. My S-10 is not really up to the task of hauling a trailer with any weight in it, and while thats not the primary need I have, it is a consideration. I found this 1955 Chevrolet 3100 1/2 ton pick up in a “local” (10 hours away) Craigslist ad in Augusta Georgia. A few emails and phone calls later; I’m the new owner.

This is one of those projects thats been hanging around forever. I got this Johnson Gas Furnace at the CAMS Yard Sale a couple of years ago; it was lounging on Steve’s front porch- a freebee that someone never picked up. I jumped at the chance to get it; I had been wanting to explore the world of gas forging for a while (didn’t have too much luck with coal). The lid was cracked in about four pieces (the lifting ring had rotted through), and the gas regulator was missing. I looked into getting the gas rig for it, and quickly found out that a replacement would be upwards of a thousand bucks. Time to get inventive.

I was working on a drill chuck for my mill, and I ran across a Jacobs 3/8″ keyless chuck that I pulled off a power drill that leaked it’s Magic Smoke. The chuck was the only thing salvageable from the drill, and I tossed it in the chuck drawer for a future project.